Mirror: Liverpool closing in on Huntelaar

This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.

Liverpool are closing in on Schalke's Dutch strike ace Klaas-Jan Huntelaar as they seek to give Brendan Rodgers the forward options he needs.

The 29-year-old former PSV, Ajax, Real Madrid and AC MIlan striker is in a contract dispute with the German outfit as he enters the final months of his current three-year contract.

Schalke are understood to be ready to let Huntelaar go in January if they cannot reach agreement although Liverpool's £9million valuation is unlikely to be accepted even in those circumstances.

The 29-year-old Huntelaar showed his prowess again with the opening goal as Schalke beat Arsenal at the Emirates in the Champions League last month and Rodgers believes he will give Luis Suarez the support the Uruguayan needs going into the second half of the campaign.

Huntelaar began his career at PSV Eindhoven but made just one appearance for the first team before being farmed out on loan and then joining Heerenveen in 2004. Two prolific seasons there earned him a big money move to Dutch powerhouse Ajax where he flourished, grabbing 76 goals in just 92 Eredivisie appearances.

This lethal form caught the attention of Real Madrid who paid around €20 million up front to take him to the Bernabeu. For the first time in his career he found things a little more difficult and he left for AC Milan after just eight months.

He spent just one season in Serie A before joing current club Schalke, where he has been back to his best over the past three seasons, scoring 40 goals in just 62 Bundesliga matches.